20 living bass greats

1 Dave Holland

Fifty-one years since being discovered by Miles Davis, Holland’s global influence cutting across a swathe of post-bop styles remains immense. The beating heart of In a Silent Way. Pick out his work with Kenny Wheeler for later thrills. Still a force to be reckoned with especially on 2018’s UnchartedTerritories and the brand new Good Hope with Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter.

2 Esperanza Spalding Breakthrough bassist/vocalist Spalding has rewritten the rulebook in terms of what a 21st century bassist can do.

3 Marcus MillerFusing jazz, soul, and African music Miller’s sound whether heard as far back as Tutu with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, or more recently on Laid Black is instantly recognisable.

4 John Patitucci With a solo reputation for leading his own bands and making his own records nonetheless it’s for his role in the Wayne Shorter quartet that has defined the technically accomplished US bassist’s career over many years now.

5 Reid AndersonAs a member of one of the leading small groups in contemporary jazz in The Bad Plus bassist Anderson has an eclectic approach influenced by jazz, rock and classical approaches that appeals to a new generation exploring jazz often for the first time.

6 Larry Grenadier Best known for his work with Brad Mehldau and the Fly trio Grenadier thrives on a riff, his impossibly woody sound cornering tricksy rhythms with consummate ease.

7 Arild AndersenPlaying Cork this autumn. Was part of the history making Triptykon.

8 Ron Carter Elegant and refined, the heir in some ways to Ray Brown, Carter was the bassist in the Miles Davis “second great quintet” fact enough to be included in this list. He is still leading bands to this day, and is a regular visitor to Ronnie Scott’s.

9 Stanley ClarkeHugely influential from Return to Forever and George Duke days and in demand as a movie composer.

10 Cecil McBee The Forest Flower bassist. Need I go on? OK, yep McBee is on the title track of Journey in Satchidananda too.

11 Richard Bona The Cameroonian with the jaw-dropping bass guitar technique and unique vocal style, jazz, African music and a sense of improvisational adventure all roll into one.

12 Reuben Rogers The Charles Lloyd and Joshua Redman bassist has some of the best chops in jazz as at ease with free-jazz as straightahead.

13 Gary PeacockAvant gardist by reputation and also the ultimate standards bassist for many years with Keith Jarrett.

14 Linda May Han OhAdventurous chamber-jazz stylist globally known through touring with Pat Metheny, already with a formidable track record of achievement on her own genre-busting records.

15 Dan BerglundHe reached a huge global fanbase with EST and now leads his own group Tonbruket. Look out for Rymden.

16 Thomas MorganBig toned US bassist known for his work with Tomasz Stańko, he’s a revelation with Jakob Bro.

17 Richard Davis As well known as an educator as for his appearance on some classic records Richard Davis’ big sound has decorated albums as influential in very different ways as Astral Weeks and Out to Lunch.

20 Henry GrimesAvant god. Ayler, Cecil Taylor, another time, another place. Lost now found.

Kairos 4tet sign to Naim

Kairos 4tet enter the studio next month to record their first album since signing to Naim, the label that already has hit bands the Neil Cowley Trio and Get the Blessing on its books. Saxophonist Adam Waldmann, above right, dropped the news to his fans in a new year newsletter that the band would be holing up at Real World studios early next month. That’s the Wiltshire recording facility where the Neil Cowley Trio recorded their debut Displaced. While Kairos had a fairly quiet 2012, partly through an injury sustained by Waldmann that kept the band off the road, the quartet with Waldmann joined by Phronesis’ Jasper Høiby and Ivo Neame, plus Dice Factory’s Jon Scott, won the MOBO for best jazz act the previous year following the release of their acclaimed album Statement of Intent, did appear to play a high profile London Jazz Festival gig in Kings Place where they showcased their single ‘Song for the Open Road’ featuring soul legend Omar who joined the band onstage as part of the Jazz in the New Europe strand. Kairos first emerged in 2010 with their debut album Kairos Moment, although Neame did not come on board until Statement of Intent replacing Rob Barron. Emilia Mårtensson’s vocals added a certain something on the last record as well as on the band’s debut, and Kairos manage the difficult feat of combining a vocal presence with a post-jazz feel, allowing jagged frequently metrically advanced solo lines to mesh intuitively with the often languorous delivery of the UK-based Swedish singer yet retaining an improvising credibility at its core. Wednesday 9 January update: Naim Jazz label boss Simon Drake says: “Adam and I have wanted to work together for a long time, and I am delighted that everything is falling into place for Naim Jazz Records to release Kairos 4tet’s third album. Kairos are a supremely talented group, who inhabit their own space at the forefront of new British jazz. They work extremely hard and I hope we can help them build on their audience in the UK and beyond. They certainly deserve it!" SG